It's Easier to Say Goodbye
by neverforgetme12
Summary: Stiles is in a coma and decides he rather die than go back to the real world. It takes his mother's appearance to show him what he must do. A story of family and forgiveness. #Claudia and Stiles


**Stiles is in a coma and doesn't want to go back to the real world after everything that has happened. It takes a certain family member to bring him back to reality. **

_**Stiles and Claudia.**_

* * *

_If you're going through hell, keep going._

_~Winston Churchill_

The last thing he remembered was the pain. The roaring sound burning his ears and his body convulsing from the electric shock. His whole body burned from the inside-out, every inch of him heated and cracking.

He could smell the rain. He could smell the wet concrete beneath his head and see foggy figures above him frantically talking all at once.

The last thing he heard was Scott choke out the words "Stiles, hold on please" before he blacked out.

Suddenly the pain was gone, the voices were dead and Stiles felt lighter.

He woke up in an empty room covered with white nothingness. Silenced surrounded him, giving the room an infinite feel. There were no walls, no doors or windows, nothing.

He was wearing all white and his feet were cold on the icy nonexistent floor.

It was like he was floating in a sky of white, yet he could feel the ground beneath him and walk in a never changing existence.

It was as if he was in another realm, between worlds.

"Hello?" Stiles chocked out to himself, shielding the blinding light from his eyes. Everything was too light in comparison to the dark life he knew.

He was use to the darkness. He was use to feeling the heaviness that surrounded his heart and the overbearing guilt and fear. In the dark, he could react on instincts. In the light, he depended on his fragile mind.

He was out of his element in this place, whatever it was. He felt numb and light and empty all at the same time.

Light was foreign to him.

An uneasy silence surrounded Stiles, making his guard go up. Things were never good when it was too quiet.

He began to pace around the infinite room, seeing nothing but white emptiness. He didn't know what he expected to hear. A voice? God? Anything?

Stiles began to panic. He didn't know if this was another dream or hallucination or something much worse.

_Am I dead?_

"Not exactly, sweetheart." A soft voice from behind Stiles said, the voice surprisingly familiar.

Stiles slowly turned around to the sound and froze.

There in front of him stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

She had long brown hair draped over her slender shoulders and warm dark brown eyes. She wore a white church sundress and stood barefoot, giving Stiles a smile of pity and concern. She smelled of vanilla and cookies, an undoubtedly familiar smell of his childhood.

He knew that smell. He knew that smile and those kind eyes. Hell, he saw those eyes every time he looked in the mirror. He had those eyes.

"Mom?" Stiles whispered, staring at the woman in disbelief. For years he had stared at her in pictures, memorizing her face, but seeing her, actually seeing her in front of him was different. He hadn't expected it to break him so easily.

Claudia nodded in response.

"This is one cruel trick." He said to the figure who looked like his mother. His eyes began to watering uncontrollably. He couldn't handle this dream. He couldn't handle seeing his mom become a part of some sick game that the nogitsune controlled. She was his Achilles heel and he wasn't strong enough to fight the hallucination away.

"Stiles." Claudia said to the broken boy. She put her small hand on his shoulder and rubbed her thumb over the skin beneath his shirt like she did when he was young.

Stiles looked carefully at the woman, recognizing the familiar touch and the voice he knew all too well.

"What's going on, Mom? Where am I? Why are you here?" He asked him mother, his voice shaking. Nothing was making sense.

"You shouldn't be here, Stiles. You shouldn't be here." Claudia said as she put her hands gently on Stiles' face and looked into his eyes concerned. Her eyes were glassy and her hands were shaking as she looked at her son.

Stiles bit his lip. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I need to show you something. Do you trust me?" She asked, ignoring his question and recovering her composure quickly.

Stiles contemplated for a moment and then nodded in response. He couldn't help but trust this woman in front of him. She was his mother and it was his instinct to trust her. If this was one of the nogitsune's tricks, he welcomed it.

Claudia took his hand gently and led him towards a door that had suddenly appeared in front of them.

Stiles closed his eyes as he walked through the swinging doors, a cold rush sweeping across his face.

He opened his eyes to see he was standing in the corner of a dark hospital room, the only sound coming from a heart monitor next to the patient's bed. His eyes gravitated towards the patient and his mouth dropped.

There Stiles lay in the hospital bed, looking sickly and weak. He was hooked up to multiple machines in the room and his breathing was deathly slow. His skin was eerily grey and his eyes were sunken in.

"Where am I?" He asked, glancing at his mother who was staring at his body.

"You're in an in-between state. Between life and death. Your body is still fighting, but your soul isn't." She said, as she walked up to his sleeping form and touched his face.

Stiles didn't say anything, his eyes were frozen on his broken body that lay in bed. When did he get so sickly? When did he become so weak?

"You have to go back, Stiles." Claudia said after a few moments of silence, looking back at Stiles who remained still in the corner of the room.

"You don't belong here. You need to go back." She continued.

"But how? How can I go back?" He said shaking his head.

"I've done terrible things, mom. How is anyone going to forgive me for what I've done? How do I even get back?" He continued, his voice panicked. He couldn't go back. He couldn't face everyone. He didn't know how.

"Stiles, look." Claudia said, motioning to the hospital door.

He turned around to see Melissa enter the room silently with Scott and Lydia behind her.

"Hi, Stiles. How are you doing today?" Melissa said to his sleeping form as she touched his face gently and began to check his vitals.

Lydia moved slowly into the room and sat on a chair beside Stiles's bed. She softly touched his hand and held it in her own, not saying a word.

"Mom?" Scott spoke out suddenly from the doorway, looking scared. His voice was quiet and weak, his eyes glued to the sickly boy in front of him.

"It's okay hunny, come here." Melissa said gently, walking up to her son and taking his hand to lead him towards his best friend's side.

Scott stood next to Lydia as Melissa continued to check Stiles's vitals.

Once she was done, Melissa wiped a few fallen tears away from her eyes and sniffled.

"Kids, I'll be right outside the door if you need me. I have to talk to the Sheriff about something." She said as she made her way towards the door before taking one last look at Stiles.

Once she was gone, Lydia finally spoke.

"I read once that when someone's in a comma, they can actually hear people's voices. It can, like give them some sort of comfort, make them feel less alone. Maybe we should talk to him." She said to Scott who remained silent.

"Okkaayy then." Lydia said rolling her eyes at Scott.

"Well Stiles, since your friend seems to be at a loss for words, I'll go. Yesterday, Allison and Derek stopped by, right? I bet _that was great_." Lydia joked, mustering up an uneasy smile.

Stiles grimaced from the corner. Everything was wrong. He should be alone, dying. He was a monster after all. Lydia shouldn't be uneasy, Scott shouldn't be uncomfortable and Melissa shouldn't be worrying about him. He wasn't worth of their empathy.

"School sucks as usual, you haven't missed much. Tomorrow, Isaacs taking your jeep to finally get a maintenance check. God knows that car needs it. Anyways, I-…"

Lydia's smile faded when she touched Stiles's cold face. "He's so cold."

Lydia bit her lip and frowned. "He needs a blanket. I have to get him a blanket or something." She said urgently, standing up.

"Lydia, I think he's fine." Scott said gently, touching her shoulder.

"No. No, he's not! He's not fine. He's in a freaken coma and he feels like ice! He needs a blanket!" She yelled, tears running down her cheek as she shoved Scott's hand away.

Scott spoke slowly. "Lydia, he's been in a coma for two weeks, he's bound to feel cold to us."

Lydia shook her head in response. "It doesn't matter, okay. He just needs a damn blanket, alright!" She continued, her breathing becoming rapid and unsteady.

"Lydia-" Scott said nervously, putting his hands up in defense.

"I'm-I'm sorry. I'm j-just really tired. I have to-I have to get him a blanket right now, okay. I have to do something. Excuse me." Lydia said quickly wiping her eyes and running out of the room.

Scott looked from the door anxiously and then back down at Stiles' sleeping body. His Adam's apple bobbed nervously as he took Lydia's seat next to Stiles.

"Hey bro." He finally said, his voice sounding broken.

Stiles heart dropped. "I-I can't watch this." He muttered, adverting his eyes from his friend.

"Shhh, you need to see this." Claudia whispered, her eyes never leaving Scott.

"Everyone keeps asking about you at school, man. They all miss you." Scott said, his lips quivering.

"I-I miss you. Things aren't the same without you." He continued, looking down at his shoes nervously.

The room went silent for a moment, the only sound coming from Stiles' heart monitor.

"I-I'm so, so, so sorry, Stiles. I should have been there for you. I should have figured it out sooner. " Scott blurted out, his hands shaking.

"But I'm not you, Stiles. I'm not smart. I-I couldn't figure it out until it was too late." He continued, tears running down his entire face. Scott's shoulders dropped and he buried his face into his hands as he finally broke down.

Suddenly the room went dark and Stiles was back in the white existence, standing next to his mother.

"Do you see why they need you, Stiles? Without you, they're broken." Claudia said to Stiles, who stood in shock at what he'd just seen. He had never seen Scott cry before.

"You have to go back, Stiles. They need you." Claudia said firmly.

"But what if I can't go back? What if they never forgive me?" Stiles cried out, panic over taking him. The memories were all coming back in overwhelming flashes. The death, the blood, the pain, it was all done by his hands. He killed people.

He couldn't go back, he wouldn't. Stiles knew that made his selfish but he didn't care. He only a kid. He was only seventeen and had suffered more than enough in his life. He deserved peace.

"I can't face everyone." Stiles admitted.

"The only person you have to face is yourself, Stiles. The only person that blames you is you. " Claudia said, walking in front of Stiles.

"I've done so many bad things, mom. I've hurt so many people. If I go back, things will never be the same." His said, his voice unsteady and the tears stinging his eyes. He wasn't ready to go back and face himself and the consequences.

"Things are going to be okay, Stiles. You are stronger than you realize." Claudia said, holding his shoulders firmly, keeping him steady.

"I feel so alone." He said, looking his mother in the eyes, searching for strength.

"You are never alone. You have so many people that love you, sweetie. So many people that care about you. Never forget that." Claudia smiled.

Stiles bit his lip and nodded. He didn't want to cry but he couldn't help it.

He was just a boy. A boy who desperately needed his mom.

Claudia softly pulled Stiles into a hug, her warmth breaking down his walls. He crumbled in her touch and began to cry. He cried for her, he cried for what he'd done, and he cried for the part of himself that died when the nogitsune took him.

As he cried, Claudia continued to whisper "I know, Stiles. I know. Everything is going to be okay."

After a few moments, Stiles reluctantly broke away and looked at his mother. She hadn't aged since her death. She was still as lovely and young spirited as ever. He missed her.

"I miss you, mom." He said, trying to grasp air in-between sobs.

"I know, but I'm always here, Stiles. I'm always here. You need to listen to me now. You have to leave. Time is running out." She said taking another step back from her son. Her cheeks were stained with tears.

"Be brave, Stiles."

Stiles looked at his mother and saw the desperation in her eyes. He needed to be strong, he needed to live. If not for himself, for her.

"I will." Stiles said simply.

"Close your eyes, hunny."

Stiles did what he was told and slowly closed his eyes, knowing this was the last time he would see his mother for a long time. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, my sweet son."

Everything went black around Stiles once again and a shooting pain hit his head.

He heard the familiar heart monitor next to his bedside beeping slowly and felt a large warm hand holding his own.

"Dad?" he whispered, his voice hoarse.


End file.
